Chattanooga Head Coach Russ HuesmanThoughts on the game“Our offensive and defensive coaches did a great job of adjusting in the second half. Our players adjusted, reacted and played way better in the second half. If you look at the numbers, there’s no question we played much better in the second half. I am very proud of our football team. We were 1-3 last year when we came back at The Citadel to win 28-10, and I told them that’s the most proud I have ever been of them. Now this one is as good as, or better than, last season’s. This is the best comeback I’ve been around.”

On coming from behind to defeat The Citadel“It was on the line and we knew we had to get it done, and we did it. What a great team win, including defense, offense and special teams. Our kicking team did a great job of pinning punts deep and that last kickoff was huge. Nick Pollard kicked the ball great and Dee Virgin made a great play on the ball. That was huge to keep The Citadel back in their own territory. This is a great team win.”

Thought on the final defensive stand by the Mocs“The Citadel hasn’t given up many sacks and I had a feeling we would be in this situation. We went back and looked at every two-minute drive they had this whole year and didn’t cut it up based on formation. We looked at them all and they had been very successful within two minutes. Aaron Miller throws the ball really well and they’ve had a lot of success, but we have a lot of pass rushers and it’s always good to have pass rushers.”

On the play of running back Marquis Green“Marquis Green ran the ball really well and a lot of his runs were clutch. I was really proud of him and we felt comfortable with him in there. He is a good player and Kenny Huitt is a good player. We are probably going to have to use those guys a lot.”

Thoughts on the final Chattanooga drive“That was big. I think that is our first two-minute drive we’ve had in five years since I’ve been here. We drove one against App State one year, but I don’t believe we’ve taken one down since. It was a great job by Jacob and all of our guys. I was screaming and yelling at Jacob in the first half, getting after him pretty good, and Jeff Durden doesn’t coach him like that. He kept telling me that he’d get it right and he came back to have a great second half. I am really proud of him. He is a gutsy player. There are a ton of winners out there. Our football team is a bunch of winners and I am as proud as I can be.”

Jacob Huesman, Quarterback, JuniorThoughts on the game“We didn’t make this one easy. We really came together in the end as a team and pulled out a win. The Citadel had the ball first and they had taken seven minutes off the clock before we got our hands on it. Possessions are limited when you play them so you have to make the most of the one you get. I don’t think we did that a few times but luckily our defense put us in a situation where we could win.”

On the Mocs offensive comeback in the second half“We could have made some plays in the first half, but I just wasn’t connecting with our receivers. I was overthrowing, underthrowing and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in the first half. Luckily I started hitting people in the second half. I hit Xavier Borishade and then the one to C.J. Board to put us on the other side of the field was big. C.J. had a great game.”

Marquis Green, Running back, JuniorThoughts on today’s game“We try to keep each other up and you have to be ready to go if a guy goes down. We backed each other up today and kept playing. This was my first game to get a lot of touches and a lot of carries. It’s been a while but you just have to get in and play.”

Thoughts on the second half and what changed“We came out slow and that’s something we’re going to have to work on. We have to come out hard and ready to play. We’re a second-half team right now. When we came into the locker room, the coaches just told us to relax and keep playing. We knew we had to keep our composure and get it done.”

On how the team was able to come back and win“We feed off each other. If one guy makes a big play, we all want to make a big play. That’s what brought us together and we fed off of each other’s energy. That’s what kept us going.”

The Citadel Head Coach Kevin HigginsThoughts on the game“We had the bye week to prepare. We talked about was getting off to a fast start all week. We had extra time on them and we had a good idea of what they were going to try to do. Our guys did a great job of executing the game plan. We had a great first half. We were in control at 17-7. I knew that they were going to come back and score some points. That was a given. Bottom line is that we didn’t get a stop in the fourth quarter when we needed one.”

On the downfall of The Citadel in the second half“We had zero takeaways for the game. Our team needs takeaways to win, but we just couldn’t get one. We had our chances, we just needed someone to step up and make plays.”

On fourth down conversions“That was a huge gamble, but I felt like our offense could make the plays. Their offense was moving the ball. I was concerned about that. I wanted to make sure we gave our guys a chance.”

Thoughts on Chattanooga’s two-minute drive“Jacob Huesman is a very good player. They ran the stretch over and over, and he did a nice job of cutting the ball back up the field. He’s a lot faster than you think, but the bottom line is we didn’t get the stops that we needed.”

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